The use of old minesites as repositories of toxic wastes appears to be increasing. This not only en

The use of old minesites as repositories of toxic wastes appears to be increasing. This not only encourages continued unchecked output from polluting industries, but also (conveniently) allows mine operators to escape responsility for ensuring adequate mine closure.

It's not a new idea. In the eighties, the gaping pit left at Paguna, Bougainvile, after Rio Tinto was forced to withdraw by landowner militancy, proved of interest to the huge US outfit, Waste Management, while opencast coal sites have also long been employed as receptacles for domestic and industrial wastes in the US.

Now, inhabitants of Winsford, Cheshire, northern England, are up in arms against a potential toxic mine dump, to be part-managed by Vivendi, the French company that leads the field in privatisation of global water resources. No prizes for guessing who wins the support of the New Labour British government.